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GWHS AP Biology - Chapter 22: Descent with Modification Flashcards

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8585740383Adaptation(s)Inherited characteristic of an organism that enhances its survival and reproduction in specific environments.0
8585740384AnalogousHaving characteristics that are similar because of convergent evolution, not homology.1
8585740385Artificial SelectionThe selective breeding of domesticated plants and animals to encourage the occurrence of desirable traits.2
8585740386BiogeographyThe study of the past and present distribution of species.3
8585740387CatastrophismThe principle that events in the past occurred suddenly and were caused by different mechanisms than those operating today. See uniformitarianism.4
8585740388Continental DriftThe slow movement of the continental plates across Earth's surface.5
8585740389Convergent EvolutionThe evolution of similar features in independent evolutionary lineages.6
8585740390EndemicReferring to a species that is confined to a specific, relatively small geographic area.7
8585740391Evolutionary Tree(s)A branching diagram that reflects a hypothesis about evolutionary relationships among groups of organisms.8
8585740392Fossil(s)A preserved remnant or impression of an organism that lived in the past.9
8585740393Homologous Structure(s)Structures in different species that are similar because of common ancestry.10
8585740394HomologySimilarity in characteristics resulting from a shared ancestry.11
8585740395MarsupialA mammal, such as a koala, kangaroo, or opossum, whose young complete their embryonic development inside a maternal pouch called the marsupium.12
8585740396Natural SelectionA process in which organisms with certain inherited characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than are organisms with other characteristics.13
8585740397PaleontologyThe scientific study of fossils.14
8585740398PangaeaThe supercontinent that formed near the end of the Paleozoic era, when plate movements brought all the landmasses of Earth together.15
8585740399StratumA rock layer formed when new layers of sediment cover older ones and compress them.16
8585740400Trait(s)Any detectable variant in a genetic character.17
8585740401UniformitarianismThe principle stating that mechanisms of change are constant over time. See catastrophism.18
8585740402Vestigial StructureA structure of marginal, if any, importance to an organism. Vestigial structures are historical remnants of structures that had important functions in ancestors.19

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